Two Melon Soup – A High Impact, Low Effort Recipe

We had a busy weekend which started with the celebration of this gal’s birthday.

You may know her as “Momma” from the comments section of this blog. I know her as the best mom a gal could ever have.

Our two-day celebration was capped off with a delicious dinner at McCormick & Schmick’s. By the way, did you know that they will print a special occasion message to the guest of honor on the top of your menus? Nice touch, McCormick & Schmick’s.

On Saturday night we had a mini-reunion with part of our Camino de Santiago group at the home of fellow pilgrims, Nora and G.

Before dinner, we plugged our computers into G’s gigantic and gorgeous television to share pictures from the trip. We scrolled through 300+ photos bringing back great memories of a most amazing journey.

In honor of the evening’s theme, Nora prepared a lovely and delicious paella.

Paella is something I enjoy eating but would never attempt to make myself. Nora is a gifted cook who whips up dishes like this with her eyes closed.

I’m delighted to be the frequent beneficiary of Nora’s culinary skills and have, in fact, “borrowed” her recipes for posts (Panzanella salad).

Today I’m going to share another of Nora’s recipes with you.

See that pretty bowl of soup served with the paella?

This Two Melon Soup, served chilled, is the perfect, refreshing start to a summertime meal.

Also, Nora assures me that the recipe fits my requirements of being High Impact, Low Effort. The hardest part, she says, is pouring the soup into the bowls.

Nora’s Two Melon Soup

1 ripe cantaloupe, diced

1 small honeydew melon, diced

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 1/2 Teaspoon minced fresh mint

Puree cantaloupe with lemon juice until smooth. Transfer to a container and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Rinse blender then puree honeydew with lime juice and mint until smooth. Transfer to a container and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

When ready to serve, either:

Transfer purees into two separate measuring cups. With one in each hand, pour simultaneously into the bowl, pouring equal amounts on each side.

or use Nora’s preferred method:

Tip bowl slightly to the side and pour in the desired amount of cantaloupe puree. Pour the honeydew puree into the other side of the bowl as you are lowering the bowl back to level.

Either way might take some practice but the result is beautiful.

Garnish with a mint sprig.

Easy, peasy. Or so I’m told.

Big surprise, Peter and I brought wine to enjoy with dinner.

First up, a bottle of Albariño.

Albariño is a white wine commonly grown in Galicia, the Northwest region of Spain. Galicia is the very same part of Spain we walked through on the Camino of St. James. Along the way, we enjoyed lots and lots of great Spanish Albariño.

Peter and I brought a bottle from one of the few U.S. producers of Albariño, Hendry Vineyard. It was on a trip to Hendry’s winery in Napa that we first tasted Albariño and fell in love with it.

The 2014 Hendry Albariño ($22) is light and refreshing with good acidity. It is fruity and floral without going over the top.

Albariño reminds me a bit of Viognier in that it is a pretty versatile food wine. It pairs best with shellfish like mussels and clams but is also great with chicken. It’s the perfect white wine to serve with paella.

For the red wine lovers in the group, we brought a bottle of 2007 Clos Mogador Priorat from Spain.

This bold red Spanish wine, a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carinena, is on the opposite end of the spectrum from the Albariño.

The 2007 Clos Mogador Priorat is dark and juicy and immensely satisfying. It brings flavors of licorice, blackberry, and black cherry. It’s a little bit spicy and a little bit smoky.

Oddly, though, because of the hearty nature of paella, this wine played well and did not overpower the flavors in the main course.

You have to love a dish with which you can pair both a light white wine and a bold red wine. Something for everyone.

We ended the evening re-watching the movie that inspired us to do the walk in the first place, The Way.

This film from 2011 stars Martin Sheen and is written, produced and directed by his son, Emilio Estevez. Dedicated to Sheen’s father, Francisco Estevez, who hailed from Galicia, the film was inspired by a trip Sheen took with Emilio’s son on which they walked part of the Camino. A real family affair.

Although the movie tells the sad story of a dad completing the pilgrimage on behalf of his late son, it also captures the beauty, the community, and the spirit of The Way.

I highly recommend it!

And if you can get Nora to make some Two Melon Soup and paella for you – even better!!

I love revisiting trips with film and photos. When we got back from our trip to Oregon and Washington, the kids and I binged watch “The Goonies” since it had been filmed there. It was fun to see the places we had visited in the movie.Katy recently posted…A Superlative Bad Mom Moment Starring Poop

Aren’t we lucky to have such wonderful moms? Truly blessed! I love most kinds of chilled soup from gazpacho to this delight with cantaloupe and honeydew. I know I would love the strawberry champagne soup, too.Mo Lux recently posted…Two Melon Soup – A High Impact, Low Effort Recipe

I loved “The Way” – it made me cry. We have friends who walked the Camino with their son who is in a wheelchair. They raised money for their foundation through the movie working with Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez. Look up the Walkabout Foundation – it is very inspiring.

I will check out the Walkabout Foundation, Sandy. Having walked the final 110km or so of The Camino, I can’t imagine how your friends did it pushing a wheelchair. God bless them!Mo Lux recently posted…Two Melon Soup – A High Impact, Low Effort Recipe

Hi and thanks for the wine recommendations…and the soup, yum!! What a great summer dish.
Thank you for mentioning The Way, to me one of the most underrated movies out there….I cry like a baby each and every time and have seen it at least 4 times possibly 5. So touching and so beautiful….hope you have a great week.
HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY!

Oh, Tina, I so agree with you about The Way. It is such a heartbreaking, touching, redemptive story, beautifully shared. The characters are authentic and the lessons are meaningful. I guess there weren’t enough explosions or vampires or Marvel comic heroes in the film to garner more widespread notice. That’s ok. We know it’s a gem!Mo Lux recently posted…Two Melon Soup – A High Impact, Low Effort Recipe

Well, now I know who you look like. Your mom. Man alive, she’s the spitting image of you. Please give her my very best wishes for her birthday and for many, many more to come. I’m sitting here on my back deck wondering how on earth I’ve yet to see The Way. Honestly. I remember hearing about it when it was out and then … poof! Gone. Thanks for the heads up. Love to have another flick to add to the faves. And that soup? Looks and sounds just perfect. Yes, even Katie could make that puppy, I’m thinking. Grinning here over the tiny cookbook concept … Love reading your friends posts, Mo. You’re indeed blessed.Kelly L McKenzie recently posted…Blessings Post Widowhood

You have just given me the biggest compliment ever. To think I might exhibit just a fraction of my mom’s fabulousness makes me happy beyond measure. We are lucky to have such remarkable moms, aren’t we, my friend? And, yes, definitely check out The Way. Each time I watch it, I love it even more.Mo Lux recently posted…Two Melon Soup – A High Impact, Low Effort Recipe